Heretofore double acting ratchet wrenches have been provided in which separate levers were used for arranging oscillatory movement around a ratchet wheel so as to impart to the wheel a uniform and continuous rotation through the medium of pawls on the levers. This kind of wrench is used for tightening and loosening nuts on bolts and the like. Most of these known ratchet wrenches employed a pawl which had to be moved manually independent of the movement of the handle of the wrench for causing directional movement of the associated ratchet wheel and associated shaft or socket and its frictional engagement of the pawl with the ratchet wheel was dependent on a spring biasing the pawl into engagement with the ratchet wheel.